diskusbooks Chapter 112 Declaration of War
Chapter 112 Declaration of War
This night was destined to be long.
Lu Yuan lay on the bed, his eyes wide open in the darkness, showing no signs of sleepiness.
He stared intently at the upper bunk, his mind replaying everything that had happened during this time like a movie.
As a "naked" transmigrator without a system or cheat codes, he knew very well that he had no shortcuts.
When faced with any trouble, one can only rely on one's brain to strategize and on one's actions to gamble.
Because there are no external safeguards, everything depends on human effort.
Lu Yuan was not afraid of challenges; on the contrary, the more difficult the situation, the more it ignited his fighting spirit.
He reassessed the current situation.
At this stage, the biggest obstacles standing between him and Ye Yixian are nothing more than two: one is Xu Lingjing, and the other is Xia Anqi.
Before Xia Anqi appeared, Ye Yixian's only real opponent was Xu Lingjing.
Xu Lingjing is aloof and carries a sense of superiority that is "only the magistrate is allowed to set fires, while the common people are not allowed to light lamps." She only allows others to like her, but never allows herself to like others.
Therefore, even though she subconsciously felt that Lu Yuan had changed and wanted to win him back, she didn't dare to openly lower herself to confess her feelings. Instead, she tried every means to win back Lu Yuan's favor.
Ye Yixian is actually capable of dealing with such an opponent.
Because as long as Ye Yixian shows enough firmness and gentleness, Xu Lingjing's condescending tactics will be difficult to succeed.
But Xia Anqi, who recently joined the fray, is a completely different species.
She was more arrogant than Xu Lingjing, but by no means aloof; in fact, she carried a kind of unbridled arrogance.
Once she sets her sights on someone, she acts decisively and attacks directly, naturally assuming that Lu Yuan has no reason to refuse her.
It was Xia Anqi's unbridled initiative that brought Ye Yixian an unprecedented sense of crisis, making her emotional world turbulent and precarious.
Of course, Ye Yixian wasn't the only one who felt the crisis; Xu Lingjing did too.
That's why Xu Lingjing acted so out of control tonight; she wanted to take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters.
The solution to the impasse.
Lu Yuan sat up abruptly, his eyes gradually sharpening in the darkness.
After thoroughly understanding the whole situation, he knew clearly that he could no longer remain passive and had to forcefully use the "method to break the deadlock".
"Brother Yuan, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Gao Zhe, from the next bed, poked his head out, still sleepy-eyed, and asked softly.
Although he didn't know exactly what had happened between Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian, as an observer, he could clearly feel Lu Yuan's suppressed depression and irritability tonight.
As a good brother, he really wanted to share Lu Yuan's burdens.
Lu Yuan looked at Gao Zhe, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.
Having lived two lives, no matter how miserable I was in my previous life, this brother was always the most reliable.
Seeing that Lu Yuan remained silent, Gao Zhe moved even closer and said earnestly, "Brother Yuan, to be honest, I think Ye Yixian is much better than Xu Lingjing. Although she may not be as stunning as Xu Lingjing, she's genuinely good to you. If possible, I still hope that you and Ye Yixian can be happy together."
Gao Zhe had witnessed Lu Yuan's past behavior—his groveling before, his obsequiousness and unrequited love for Xu Lingjing—and at that time, he only felt frustrated and indignant.
Now, seeing the unspoken understanding between Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian when they are together, and how Ye Yixian responds to everything Lu Yuan does, this sense of security is exactly what he wants to see.
As Lu Yuan looked at Gao Zhe, he recalled his most destitute days in his past life in the quiet of the night. Even when Gao Zhe encountered trouble, he would still help him out.
In this life, he doesn't want to let anyone down.
So Lu Yuan turned to Gao Zhe and said with utmost seriousness, "Brother, I have something to do, but it's a bit crazy, and you have to do me a favor."
"Okay, go ahead." Gao Zhe was also affected by Lu Yuan's serious tone and immediately became serious. "No matter what it is, as long as I can do it, I will definitely help you."
"This is against the rules, and it might even become known to everyone in the school."
"What's there to be afraid of if I break the rules?" Gao Zhe was completely unfazed and his attitude was firm. "As long as it's not murder or arson, I'll hold the sky up for you if it falls."
"Okay!" Lu Yuan was touched and gratified. He beckoned, leaned close to Gao Zhe's ear, and whispered, "We'll do it this way next..."
……
The next day, the sun shone brightly as usual, but an eerie silence filled the air.
Lu Yuan did not go to see Ye Yixian as usual.
Ye Yixian, of course, did not come to find Lu Yuan.
The two were like a young couple who had just had a falling out, vowing never to speak to each other again; yet they were also like complete strangers, as if all the sweet memories of the past two months had been nothing but a fleeting dream.
Although Lu Yuan pushed Xu Lingjing away without any mercy last night, Xu Lingjing keenly sensed the cold war atmosphere between Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian, and couldn't help but feel smug.
She felt that the fall had brought about this outcome, and that was a worthwhile result.
Lu Yuan's dislike for her was only temporary, but his loneliness was eternal.
As long as she continues to approach Lu Yuan and show him tenderness when he is alone, she believes Lu Yuan's heart will fall for her again.
However, the biggest variable right now is still Xia Anqi.
At noon, the cafeteria was bustling with activity.
Lu Yuan and Gao Zhe were carrying their trays and looking for a seat when Xia Anqi, like a haughty queen, swaggered over with her food and stopped directly in front of Lu Yuan.
This move undoubtedly attracted the attention of the entire cafeteria.
Ye Yixian, who was sitting in a corner far away from Lu Yuan, couldn't help but raise his head and look over through the crowd, his eyes dim.
"Brother Yuan?" Gao Zhe subconsciously wanted to stand up and block him, or do something.
However, Lu Yuan waved his hand nonchalantly, indicating that he did not need to make any move.
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yuan did something that surprised everyone. He said calmly, "A Zhe, move over and let her sit in front of me."
Upon hearing this, Xia Anqi's eyes lit up, her face filled with surprise.
As soon as Gao Zhe moved away, she sat down excitedly, resting her chin on her hand and laughing, "What's wrong, Lu Yuan? Have you thought it through?"
She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips: "I knew it! How could you possibly reject my confession? So, from now on, we're officially dating, right?"
Lu Yuan ate his meal slowly and deliberately, as if he didn't notice the stares around him.
He glanced up at Xia Anqi's expectant face, then lowered his head again, chewing as he said in a flat, emotionless tone, "Xia Anqi, do you even know what love means?"
Xia Anqi was taken aback: "Doesn't that mean we'll become boyfriend and girlfriend? We can study together, go to get out of class together, improve together, and even take the college entrance exam together!"
"You're destined to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, while no matter how hard I try, I can't." Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks, looked directly into her eyes, and said, "In other words, if we really start dating, we'll definitely break up after the college entrance exam because of the long distance and our different social circles. What will we do then?"
"Ah? This..." Xia Anqi was at a loss. Clearly, she had never considered such a long-term issue.
Her plan was simple: force Lu Yuan to accept her confession, enjoy the sweetness of their current relationship, study together, and even kiss and hug.
As for what happens after the college entrance examination?
That was something for later; she never thought about it.
Lu Yuan stared intently at Xia Anqi, his gaze sharp: "So, in your heart, this relationship of ours will only last until the end of the college entrance exam, and then that's it, right? For you, it's just a limited-time experience game?"
"I..." Xia Anqi was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Lu Yuan continued, his tone becoming more serious: "I've said it before, love isn't child's play. You're still young, only eighteen, and your mind isn't fully mature yet, which I can understand. But I won't play a pointless love game with you. I want to control my life—my studies, my career, and my love life—I won't let any of them slip by, and I won't allow anyone to disrupt my rhythm."
Faced with Lu Yuan's serious analysis, Xia Anqi also put away her playful smile and became extremely serious.
She looked directly at Lu Yuan, a certain obsessive light flashing in her eyes: "Lu Yuan, I really admire how serious you are. I like you more and more. Can't we stop thinking about the future and cherish the present?"
Lu Yuan shook his head firmly: "People who only care about the present are irresponsible. I told you, you're not mature enough yet. When you look back in the future, you'll definitely regret what you've done today."
"I won't regret it." Xia Anqi stubbornly raised her head. "What's wrong with liking you and wanting to date you? Why won't you give me a chance?"
She paused, as if she had thought of something, and her tone became somewhat meaningful: "I heard you and Ye Yixian had a falling out. Look at her, so petty, she'll only affect your study mood. Unlike me, I'll only improve together with you. Isn't that better?"
Lu Yuan sneered and shook his head: "Let's leave Ye Yixian aside for now. I just want to tell you that I don't like your irresponsible behavior. If you're unwilling to curb this selfish thinking, I have my own ways to make you give up."
"Really?" Xia Anqi laughed instead of getting angry, even finding the matter amusing, her eyes flashing with a provocative light. "Let me see what you have to do to make me give up? You can't exactly beat me up, can you? Let me tell you, I'm a strange person; the more you hit me, the more I like you."
"I, Lu Yuan, do not hit women."
Lu Yuan said calmly, his gaze towards Xia Anqi now that of someone looking at a formidable enemy, cold and distant.
Xia Anqi smiled smugly, met Lu Yuan's gaze with a competitive look, and said softly, "But look, the way you and I are right now, we really seem like a young couple who can talk about anything. If Ye Yixian saw this, wouldn't he dislike you even more?"
Xia Anqi wasn't afraid of Lu Yuan rejecting her; she was afraid of Lu Yuan ignoring her.
Anyway, the onlookers didn't care about their fate; they only cared about whether they interacted.
Interaction creates topics of conversation.
Once the topic gains traction, all sorts of rumors and gossip will inevitably stab Ye Yixian like knives.
When Ye Yixian couldn't stand the rumors and chose to leave completely, Lu Yuan had no other choice.
Lu Yuan was well aware of Xia Anqi's true purpose.
He was certain that Xia Anqi's actions were no different in essence from those of Chen Li, who had bullied Ye Yixian, and Cheng Hao, who had spread rumors about Ye Yixian.
They are all people who wantonly hurt others for their own selfish interests. In essence, they are doing the exact same thing as Xu Lingjing in their past life, committing evil deeds in the name of love.
Therefore, Lu Yuan was unwilling to let things go unchecked and wanted to declare war.
Declare war on Xia Anqi, this self-proclaimed brilliant academic genius.